1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is for a support system, and more particularly, pertains to a cam style hub and strut system for use in portable and semi-permanent structures. The present invention can be used in any number of structures, including but not limited to, portable or semi-permanent structures, such as ice fishing houses, movie screens, road crew signs, boat covers, tents, medical tents, hunting blinds, photography blinds, portable garages, and the like.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Portable or semi-permanent structures are popular and practical for many of the aforementioned applications. The shortcomings of the current art device centrally hubbed units lie in the impracticality of utilizing the proper amount of extra diagonal length between the rod or strut ends and the distance between corners of a panel. The diagonal distance between opposing strut ends must be sufficiently greater than the corresponding corner-to-corner measurement of the panel in order to hold the panel in place once the hub is forced through the center. When the struts used are of optimal length, the unit becomes very difficult to set up, and damage to the hub system or structure itself frequently occurs. Couple this with the fact that many optimal structural fabrics stretch and shrink when contacted with environmental conditions to which they are commonly exposed, for example, rain, high humidity, heat, sunlight, and the like, the optimal system then is one that can be adjustable. In systems utilizing fabrics prone to stretching or shrinking, the unit may be built so that the cam need only be engaged in conditions in which the fabric is found to be affected. This system couples ease of setup with the cam disengaged and application of the proper amount of pressure on the panel to hold the system in a fixed position with the cam engaged, utilizing either flexible or rigid struts depending upon the properties of the material used in the panel and the size of the panel.